Betting on Value: How E-commerce Platforms Are Winning First-Time Buyers and Sellers India’s rapid rise in internet penetration and digital literacy has created a new wave of online shoppers, especially in smaller towns and cities, looking for affordable products. E-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart are capitalizing on this trend by revamping their seller policies and growing their affordable product assortments to attract the next generation of online shoppers. Targeting the Next Set of Shoppers Both Amazon India and Flipkart are recalibrating their strategies to cater to first-time buyers , many of whom are from Tier II and Tier III cities. In March 2024, Amazon India introduced changes to its seller policies, focusing on affordability for products priced under Rs 300. Among these changes was the removal of referral fees (the commission sellers pay for every sale), particularly for low-value goods. Referral fees, which previously ranged between 2% and 14.5% , were eli...